We agreewith all of your comments. I would add that one of our favorites is the indoor pool at the spa. The jets that pound your head and shoulders are amazing. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Thank you for sharing your perspective. No need to acknowledge the dog barking because the pop ups and shushing is distracting. Just keep rolling along and sharing the value of your content. Or put the dog in another room. Thank you!
Thanks for watching and your comment. We try to keep these videos super casual, almost like inviting viewers into our home, and whatever happens happens. Toby gets mixed reactions from people and i can appreciate both sides. I'll try to reduce his involvement in future videos though.
Great upload, we stayed at that resort in December of 2022. Thanks for the review, we have similar tastes for sure. We never attend those upsells anymore.
Currently watching this while at IGP! I’ve been here a few times but never in a villa so watched your other video as well! The food is so good here it’s hard to beat for me at other resorts - looking forward to you reviewing the excellence when you go to compare
Alain and Andrea have to be the most honest reviews I’ve ever had…..I mean Toby is cool too…They highlight the best moments and shed light on the less best moments….its an amazing place! The level of staff is amazing. This staff has to be promoted to be at the grand and they have to prove they can handle a diamond member before they are on site.
I agree w you in regards to daily entertainment in the evenings. We wish they had a schedule easily posted, or a board out by the pool..of entertainment. We love the Grand and agree with how you brought out the positives!
Every time we've been the ocean was always wavy (Red flags every day) but that might just be the time of year. that said, the beach in front of the Grand is not ideal for swimming. to actually swim people go down over to the other Iberostar beaches connected to the left. It's not a far walk. We only go to the beach to lounge (and drink) so it hasn't been an issue for us. Hope that helps.
Great video, thanks you! For the villas, was the pool heated? I love the idea but have been burned too many times in the past paying extra for a swimout or private pool only to find it so cold we never used it. Thanks!!
Excellent series of videos. Having been to the Grand way back the first few years it opened and it is NOT anywhere near what it was. Food quality/choices have fallen precipitously. You used to get 2 complimentary massages per week per person regardless of the cost. You also got unlimited golf and cart at no cost. The nightly shows were included in the price. Iberostar has fallen into the trap of the other companies of ripping off guests by nickel and diming you for everything. It almost feels like you are on a cruise ship. Reservations were not always required however they came about because of a problem. When you had 40-50 couple show up to eat at 7pm it caused a jam up and many guests felt they were entitled to eat and not be delayed by others and problems came about. Walk In vs Reservations each system has it pros and cons. Love your videos.
Unfortunately i never got to experience those early days at the Grand but from everything I’ve heard, it was much better. That said, it’s still an excellent resort all things considered, but the costs this year are exorbitant, and we may not be going back if we can’t find a price that isn’t so high (compared to last year).
@@AlainGrandemange COVID permanently changed resorts and airlines pricing models. Both lost billions and have to make it up. Sadly they both seem to want to make up the losses quickly instead of over say a 10 year period. The prices of 2018 and before are sadly gone forever and never to return. When IB* created the Star Prestige system it caused some angst but IB* The Club really rubbed most multiple returnees the wrong way. A lot of The Club members were miffed that Star Prestige got almost everything they did so it has set up some ugly confrontations at IB* resorts between those groups.
Hey guys, in reference to your last point..do you mind sharing how much the resort was pre- 2023? Looking at prices and trying to determine what is reasonabe!
Well, that’s the rub. Since our last trip, prices have sky rocketed, up 28% from when we last went and that was up from the previous year. We’ve been there twice during the exact same time period. But this coming year the prices are just ridiculous so we decided to check out Excellence playa Mujeres instead. Expect a video about that resort in January!
Thanks for sharing. My wife and I came here just before the Pandemic shut everything down (Feb 2020). We opted to try the Grand in the Dominican Republic last year (April 2022). From what I remember, and what you both described, this is a superior facility in my opinion. We are heading back there in about 3 weeks, so this video has definitely whet my appetite for some good food, mediocre golf (my game) and plenty of pool and beach time.
Thank you so much for such a clear video. The dog barking had me stop watching early, like other peoples kids, you LOOOOVE your pets. Great video other wise
Thank you and i get it... he can be a bit much. when editing it i was on the fence about whether to leave him, but then i figured no one would watch the video anyways so i might as well make it a fun memory for me. boy was i wrong. Thanks for watching anyways. we're heading back there in a couple of weeks and i'll have more detailed videos about the IGP soon after. make sure you check back!
Super informative this is just what we were looking for! We're staying there next week for the first time we're really looking forward to it! I was also going to inquire about the tipping but you already answered. Thanks for the video! P.S. I personally enjoyed the addition of your super cute dog and his pics popping up when he interjected! Got a real kick out of it actually 😆
Does this resort also include premium liquor? For example if I ask the bartender to make a margarita with patron tequila will this cost more or is it included just like any drink? Thanks!
Hi Heather. I think they have multiple choices on hand, including what some people would call top shelf. I didn't see any Johnny Walker Blue, so there are probably some limits, or an option to buy higher end drinks that we didn't see. We bought a high end bottle of pink champagne which was extra, but it was New Years eve, so it was justifiable... sorta. The booze wasn't knock-off, so when you ask for a Bailey's, you got Bailey's, not a Mexican equivalent. Hope that helps.
Thank you for this video, it was exactly the information I was looking for. My husband and I booked an 8 day honeymoon trip coming up in December at one of their villas and we're looking forward to just being lazy and relaxing kids free! 😂😂 This will be our first time at The Grand and in Mexico. Just one question, I've heard if you're staying at The Grand Paraiso, you have access to their sister properties. Is it worth spending a couple days going to the other properties for their activities, entertainment, and food??
Glad you liked the video. I would say it's worth walking around the entire complex to get a sense for it, but honestly, we were anxious to get back to the Grand. The restaurants at the Grand are as good as you can get in the entire complex so we just enjoyed them without worrying about what was happening at the other resorts. We just wanted to park our brains and just simplify for the week. so... to summarize, walk around, grab a cocktail, visit the small mall area, but come back to the Grand to rest and recover and destress.
Yikes! They must offer memberships at higher pricing for Grand people. I’m a Double Black member who doesn’t negotiate multi million dollar contracts and Love my membership. It wasn’t cheap and not for everyone but well worth it for me. The flybacks, daily massages, daily golf, VIP transportation, discounts, price matches, Star Prestige. etc etc is well worth what I paid for 30 years and 11 beneficiaries. I have access to the Grand but haven’t stayed because we have a young daughter who we never leave behind. Although they are building one in PV so we may decide to sneak away once it’s built lol. Thanks for the review.
we assume it must meet the needs of some people, but a 6 figure cost with a 30 year commitment with nothing at the end seemed an unnecessary expense for us. also it locked us into the Iberostar brand which we rather not be. i want the brands i deal with to earn my money each and every year and work for every dollar i spend with them. Glad you're enjoying your membership though and thanks for watching the video.
@@AlainGrandemange I just watched your video today curious to see how someone else views an Iberostar resort. Comically your video came up on my feed, I suppose because my family and my childhood friends stayed at the DR Bavaro Grand Iberostar last week for four nights. My sons are now adults so we get to stay at the adult only resorts, which we really enjoy. My husband and I are also double black members and we simply enjoy all the perks along with the discounted rates. We joined right when the international flights opened after the pandemic in 2021. The resort was only open to possibly 30% of the capacity of guests. We did get a phenomenal deal that locked us in for 25 years and allowed us to add up to eight beneficiaries that also receive the same benefits and perks that we do. Perhaps, because the resort had been closed for the pandemic and minimal guests available at the moment they made a well thought decision to reduce the cost of their membership to signup members. You mentioned that at the end of the membership you get nothing. I agree to disagree with you. During the 25 years of our sign up you get to stay at the resorts with all the perks at a minimum of a 25% discount of the nonmember prices along with amazing perks and benefits. I have compared them each time I make reservations and the discount is significant always. The level of service they provide is top notch from the moment you arrive to the airport, head over to the resort, throughout your stay, and the return to the airport. You feel like royalty. The staff is phenomenal. They do not miss a beat and they always are around without you not even noticing their presence to provide you with the best Customer service in hospitality. In addition, of getting amazing discounts to stay at any of their resorts in the world. You also have access to a travel agency with worldwide known 5 star hotel chains at discounted prices. The flyback of $500 per person yearly for 10 years is also a plus no matter how you look at it At the end of our 25 year membership lock you get the money back you paid for the membership entirety. If you are no longer around, your beneficiary will receive the money you paid. I understand that this is not for everyone, but if you can afford it and like to travel having prestige service upon your arrival, staying at five star resorts, I highly recommend it. I understand that the cost of the membership has increased, but so has everything else. I have also used their travel agency to stay in different places in Europe, and none were disappointing and less expensive than using Expedia or Travelocity. I have been approached to upgrade my membership to include the villas which would be known as the rose gold membership. It is very appealing because what they call a villa I would call a mansion. It even comes with a pool of your own a complete outdoor kitchen, a 6 passenger golf cart a cook and many more perks. It even comes with access to a yacht with a captain. We do not have grandchildren yet but may consider to upgrade when the time comes. Obviously it’s pricey but if you have that kind of money it could be just up your alley. We have been politely approached by the designated staff assigned to our family during our stay, asking if we are interested in upgrading. We simply say not at this time, they go away respectfully and do not ask again. You mentioned issues with reservation in the different restaurants, however, being a member you will not experience any issues your personal Butler will handle all of those arrangements upon your arrival. Not once did we have to miss out on any of the restaurants that we wanted to try And we’re always accommodated for the time frames we selected. Not sure if it pure luck, but there were no issues whatsoever each time we have been at their resorts . Being totally honest I have nothing negative to say about my stay. I am excited to head back soon but to their soon to open new Aruba resort. As you say always and disclaimer this is just my opinion.
@@janetblanco825 Thank you so much for that response. It's great to get the perspective of someone who is member of the black and above member levels. We would absolutely love to keep going back but i guess that's our issue with the concept of membership (anywhere actually... not just at the Iberostar). Life changes. Priorities change. We're building out a very expensive homestead which mean we probably won't be traveling back to Mexico for several years. If we had had a membership, we may have paused in this direction. Fundamentally, life's short and everyone should live their best life. If that means a membership, good. If that means buying chickens, that's also good. Life is fluid and everyone's life is different, The membership wasn't for us. The key point, i guess, is that Iberostar should calm down on their "Sell". it's exhausting. Make it available. If it's a good deal, people will gravitate. Anyways, i appreciate the thoughtful reply.
Ive heard... the Villas are priced similar to the standard room, is that true? - has anyone ever upgraded their room category after they arrived at Iberostar - is there a tip to do it on the cheap ?
In our two trips to the IGP we booked the villas both times, so there was no need to change our booking. but the villas were significantly more expensive than the standard rooms. One thing i do know, though, is that the villas were significantly more expensive this coming season, which is why we decided to stay elsewhere this year. But we do love the IGP. Fundamentally the room you stay in doesn't matter... it's the company you're with and the food that matter. :)
Hi! It’s whatever you feel comfortable with. The quality of service doesn’t change if you don’t tip. I know some people get outraged if you say you don’t tip for every drink, but I honestly didn’t. It’s meant to be an all-inclusive stress-free vacation.
Honestly we never worried about water. We just asked for 3 bottle, and we get t three bottles. We needed more, we just asked for more. Water on the resort is safe (this means ice cubes are safe as well as anything washed in water).
ive been to probably 5 different resorts in the Riviera Maya and all at least a 5 golden apple ratings and I think the Iberostar has the best food for sure !
it's been a while since we've stayed at a non-Iberostar resort, but our next trip will be at the Excellence Playa Mujeres which my friends rave about, so we'll be finally able to compare. but it would be hard to beat the IGP honestly.
This might work (facebook.com/groups/144098172284949) but if not, just look for "Iberostar Grand Paraiso Fan Group". but don't forget to come back!! we have 4 weeks of additional stuff from our latest stay 2 weeks ago!
Thanks for watching the video. We found the music at lounge at the Grand to be subdued and easy-listening. it made for great background music and didn't interfere with our conversations. If you check out some of my other day by day videos from the Grand, our evenings always finished at the lounge. It was always pleasant (in our opinion, of course). But we didn't try having conversations with other people, so maybe that would have changed our opinion.
Man those UPSELLS are ridiculously UNCOMFORTABLE. Me and my wife went to one and DAMN they damn near borderline question and force you to sign. I must have said No MULTIPLE TIMES. I had no idea how else I could have said no but to tell them to straight up F OFF. Me and my wife deal with hundreds of thousands of dollars as well and don't give in to peer pressure. These people were getting OFFENDED by our simple no's. Are their lives at stake or what? lol
It was crazy. But I noticed that they don’t react well once voices go up (and other people can here). If I sat through one of these things again, I’d say, loudly, “I’m done here…{awkward pause}.. are WE done here??” While staring uncomfortably in the sales guy’s eyes…. But it’s garbage and undermines the brand. Too bad.
@@AlainGrandemange We had 2 salespeople with us the entire time. A female from Texas and a local bilingual guy. The local bilingual guy eventually got so enraged, he stood up and barged off. The female kept insisting and about 15 no's later she proceeded to bring in "her manager" what seemed like an older Caucasian American man in his 50's tatted with entire sleeves of skulls, skulls on his rings, all dressed in white and told us that he would provide us with a "deal" that so wasn't a deal. It all eventually ended half a day later. SMH. I clearly remember champaign bottles popping around us as other people accepted the offers. I remember thinking to myself "there is a sucker born every minute". The experience was atrocious. They wanted to know what our finances were looking like back home to see if they could squeeze themselves in. HAHAHA Good grief.
I bought their membership. It's about $1500 a year, for my whole family (my children, parents and my brother), not just us. They don't have to travel with us. Next month we are going the grand paraiso $1700/2people for 7 nights as a member. Booked 3 rooms this time. I believe average price is about $2500-3000 for 6 nights. We go to their other resorts at least couple times a year too. We get $2000/yr flight rebate for the first 10 years. We will get my membership $ back when the membership contract ends (The money might not worth much by end of 25 years). Like I said, it's membership, so like a gym membership, u need to use it to worth it, otherwise, it's a waste. Free massge every day is very nice.
ha! I'll make sure to let her know :) she was breaking apart the dog treats to try to keep Toby quiet. Luckily Toby won't be around for the next video from the Iberostar so she won't be fidgeting as much. thanks for watching!
We agreewith all of your comments. I would add that one of our favorites is the indoor pool at the spa. The jets that pound your head and shoulders are amazing. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Thank you for sharing your perspective. No need to acknowledge the dog barking because the pop ups and shushing is distracting. Just keep rolling along and sharing the value of your content. Or put the dog in another room. Thank you!
Thanks for watching and your comment. We try to keep these videos super casual, almost like inviting viewers into our home, and whatever happens happens. Toby gets mixed reactions from people and i can appreciate both sides. I'll try to reduce his involvement in future videos though.
Great upload, we stayed at that resort in December of 2022. Thanks for the review, we have similar tastes for sure. We never attend those upsells anymore.
Thanks for watching!
Nice video.. cheers guys… a guy from California now living in England for the last 16 years… be well.. 🍻
Thanks for watching! We've been to London 3 times over the past 15 years. love it there.
Currently watching this while at IGP! I’ve been here a few times but never in a villa so watched your other video as well! The food is so good here it’s hard to beat for me at other resorts - looking forward to you reviewing the excellence when you go to compare
i can't imagine the Excellence will be as good as the IGP, but i've been surprised in the past. another 2 months to go!
Alain and Andrea have to be the most honest reviews I’ve ever had…..I mean Toby is cool too…They highlight the best moments and shed light on the less best moments….its an amazing place! The level of staff is amazing. This staff has to be promoted to be at the grand and they have to prove they can handle a diamond member before they are on site.
Ahh. Thank you!! The place is amazing but it’s the people that make it special.
I agree w you in regards to daily entertainment in the evenings. We wish they had a schedule easily posted, or a board out by the pool..of entertainment. We love the Grand and agree with how you brought out the positives!
Is the ocen wavy?Is the beach shallow or uncomfirtable for swimming
Every time we've been the ocean was always wavy (Red flags every day) but that might just be the time of year. that said, the beach in front of the Grand is not ideal for swimming. to actually swim people go down over to the other Iberostar beaches connected to the left. It's not a far walk. We only go to the beach to lounge (and drink) so it hasn't been an issue for us. Hope that helps.
Great video, thanks you! For the villas, was the pool heated? I love the idea but have been burned too many times in the past paying extra for a swimout or private pool only to find it so cold we never used it. Thanks!!
other than dipping her toes in the villa pool, my wife refused to get in the villa pool. it was so cold it was barely usable.
Excellent series of videos.
Having been to the Grand way back the first few years it opened and it is NOT anywhere near what it was. Food quality/choices have fallen precipitously. You used to get 2 complimentary massages per week per person regardless of the cost. You also got unlimited golf and cart at no cost. The nightly shows were included in the price. Iberostar has fallen into the trap of the other companies of ripping off guests by nickel and diming you for everything. It almost feels like you are on a cruise ship. Reservations were not always required however they came about because of a problem. When you had 40-50 couple show up to eat at 7pm it caused a jam up and many guests felt they were entitled to eat and not be delayed by others and problems came about. Walk In vs Reservations each system has it pros and cons. Love your videos.
Unfortunately i never got to experience those early days at the Grand but from everything I’ve heard, it was much better. That said, it’s still an excellent resort all things considered, but the costs this year are exorbitant, and we may not be going back if we can’t find a price that isn’t so high (compared to last year).
@@AlainGrandemange COVID permanently changed resorts and airlines pricing models. Both lost billions and have to make it up. Sadly they both seem to want to make up the losses quickly instead of over say a 10 year period. The prices of 2018 and before are sadly gone forever and never to return. When IB* created the Star Prestige system it caused some angst but IB* The Club really rubbed most multiple returnees the wrong way. A lot of The Club members were miffed that Star Prestige got almost everything they did so it has set up some ugly confrontations at IB* resorts between those groups.
With those prices Al can’t afford his hair dye🤣💪🇨🇦
lol... the prices are definitely ridiculous. we found that waiting for black friday sales typically saves us about 50%
Hey guys, in reference to your last point..do you mind sharing how much the resort was pre- 2023? Looking at prices and trying to determine what is reasonabe!
Well, that’s the rub. Since our last trip, prices have sky rocketed, up 28% from when we last went and that was up from the previous year. We’ve been there twice during the exact same time period. But this coming year the prices are just ridiculous so we decided to check out Excellence playa Mujeres instead. Expect a video about that resort in January!
Thanks for sharing. My wife and I came here just before the Pandemic shut everything down (Feb 2020). We opted to try the Grand in the Dominican Republic last year (April 2022). From what I remember, and what you both described, this is a superior facility in my opinion. We are heading back there in about 3 weeks, so this video has definitely whet my appetite for some good food, mediocre golf (my game) and plenty of pool and beach time.
We've been to the grand in DR also. it's great, but the Paraiso definitely beats it (in my humble opinion of course). thanks for watching!
Thank you so much for such a clear video. The dog barking had me stop watching early, like other peoples kids, you LOOOOVE your pets. Great video other wise
Thank you and i get it... he can be a bit much. when editing it i was on the fence about whether to leave him, but then i figured no one would watch the video anyways so i might as well make it a fun memory for me. boy was i wrong. Thanks for watching anyways. we're heading back there in a couple of weeks and i'll have more detailed videos about the IGP soon after. make sure you check back!
Super informative this is just what we were looking for! We're staying there next week for the first time we're really looking forward to it! I was also going to inquire about the tipping but you already answered. Thanks for the video!
P.S. I personally enjoyed the addition of your super cute dog and his pics popping up when he interjected! Got a real kick out of it actually 😆
Toby has quite the personality. Glad you liked the video!
Does this resort also include premium liquor? For example if I ask the bartender to make a margarita with patron tequila will this cost more or is it included just like any drink? Thanks!
Hi Heather. I think they have multiple choices on hand, including what some people would call top shelf. I didn't see any Johnny Walker Blue, so there are probably some limits, or an option to buy higher end drinks that we didn't see. We bought a high end bottle of pink champagne which was extra, but it was New Years eve, so it was justifiable... sorta. The booze wasn't knock-off, so when you ask for a Bailey's, you got Bailey's, not a Mexican equivalent. Hope that helps.
Thank you for this video, it was exactly the information I was looking for. My husband and I booked an 8 day honeymoon trip coming up in December at one of their villas and we're looking forward to just being lazy and relaxing kids free! 😂😂 This will be our first time at The Grand and in Mexico.
Just one question, I've heard if you're staying at The Grand Paraiso, you have access to their sister properties. Is it worth spending a couple days going to the other properties for their activities, entertainment, and food??
Glad you liked the video. I would say it's worth walking around the entire complex to get a sense for it, but honestly, we were anxious to get back to the Grand. The restaurants at the Grand are as good as you can get in the entire complex so we just enjoyed them without worrying about what was happening at the other resorts. We just wanted to park our brains and just simplify for the week. so... to summarize, walk around, grab a cocktail, visit the small mall area, but come back to the Grand to rest and recover and destress.
Yikes! They must offer memberships at higher pricing for Grand people. I’m a Double Black member who doesn’t negotiate multi million dollar contracts and Love my membership. It wasn’t cheap and not for everyone but well worth it for me. The flybacks, daily massages, daily golf, VIP transportation, discounts, price matches, Star Prestige. etc etc is well worth what I paid for 30 years and 11 beneficiaries. I have access to the Grand but haven’t stayed because we have a young daughter who we never leave behind. Although they are building one in PV so we may decide to sneak away once it’s built lol. Thanks for the review.
we assume it must meet the needs of some people, but a 6 figure cost with a 30 year commitment with nothing at the end seemed an unnecessary expense for us. also it locked us into the Iberostar brand which we rather not be. i want the brands i deal with to earn my money each and every year and work for every dollar i spend with them. Glad you're enjoying your membership though and thanks for watching the video.
@@AlainGrandemange I just watched your video today curious to see how someone else views an Iberostar resort. Comically your video came up on my feed, I suppose because my family and my childhood friends stayed at the DR Bavaro Grand Iberostar last week for four nights. My sons are now adults so we get to stay at the adult only resorts, which we really enjoy. My husband and I are also double black members and we simply enjoy all the perks along with the discounted rates. We joined right when the international flights opened after the pandemic in 2021. The resort was only open to possibly 30% of the capacity of guests. We did get a phenomenal deal that locked us in for 25 years and allowed us to add up to eight beneficiaries that also receive the same benefits and perks that we do. Perhaps, because the resort had been closed for the pandemic and minimal guests available at the moment they made a well thought decision to reduce the cost of their membership to signup members. You mentioned that at the end of the membership you get nothing. I agree to disagree with you. During the 25 years of our sign up you get to stay at the resorts with all the perks at a minimum of a 25% discount of the nonmember prices along with amazing perks and benefits. I have compared them each time I make reservations and the discount is significant always. The level of service they provide is top notch from the moment you arrive to the airport, head over to the resort, throughout your stay, and the return to the airport. You feel like royalty. The staff is phenomenal. They do not miss a beat and they always are around without you not even noticing their presence to provide you with the best Customer service in hospitality. In addition, of getting amazing discounts to stay at any of their resorts in the world. You also have access to a travel agency with worldwide known 5 star hotel chains at discounted prices. The flyback of $500 per person yearly for 10 years is also a plus no matter how you look at it At the end of our 25 year membership lock you get the money back you paid for the membership entirety. If you are no longer around, your beneficiary will receive the money you paid. I understand that this is not for everyone, but if you can afford it and like to travel having prestige service upon your arrival, staying at five star resorts, I highly recommend it. I understand that the cost of the membership has increased, but so has everything else. I have also used their travel agency to stay in different places in Europe, and none were disappointing and less expensive than using Expedia or Travelocity. I have been approached to upgrade my membership to include the villas which would be known as the rose gold membership. It is very appealing because what they call a villa I would call a mansion. It even comes with a pool of your own a complete outdoor kitchen, a 6 passenger golf cart a cook and many more perks. It even comes with access to a yacht with a captain. We do not have grandchildren yet but may consider to upgrade when the time comes. Obviously it’s pricey but if you have that kind of money it could be just up your alley. We have been politely approached by the designated staff assigned to our family during our stay, asking if we are interested in upgrading. We simply say not at this time, they go away respectfully and do not ask again. You mentioned issues with reservation in the different restaurants, however, being a member you will not experience any issues your personal Butler will handle all of those arrangements upon your arrival. Not once did we have to miss out on any of the restaurants that we wanted to try And we’re always accommodated for the time frames we selected. Not sure if it pure luck, but there were no issues whatsoever each time we have been at their resorts . Being totally honest I have nothing negative to say about my stay. I am excited to head back soon but to their soon to open new Aruba resort. As you say always and disclaimer this is just my opinion.
@@janetblanco825 Thank you so much for that response. It's great to get the perspective of someone who is member of the black and above member levels. We would absolutely love to keep going back but i guess that's our issue with the concept of membership (anywhere actually... not just at the Iberostar). Life changes. Priorities change. We're building out a very expensive homestead which mean we probably won't be traveling back to Mexico for several years. If we had had a membership, we may have paused in this direction. Fundamentally, life's short and everyone should live their best life. If that means a membership, good. If that means buying chickens, that's also good. Life is fluid and everyone's life is different, The membership wasn't for us. The key point, i guess, is that Iberostar should calm down on their "Sell". it's exhausting. Make it available. If it's a good deal, people will gravitate. Anyways, i appreciate the thoughtful reply.
How do you guys bring your furbaby along? Did you fly private? Bit jealous
lol. I wish!! No, Toby stayed in week long daycare with his big brother Duke.
Ive heard... the Villas are priced similar to the standard room, is that true? - has anyone ever upgraded their room category after they arrived at Iberostar - is there a tip to do it on the cheap ?
In our two trips to the IGP we booked the villas both times, so there was no need to change our booking. but the villas were significantly more expensive than the standard rooms. One thing i do know, though, is that the villas were significantly more expensive this coming season, which is why we decided to stay elsewhere this year. But we do love the IGP. Fundamentally the room you stay in doesn't matter... it's the company you're with and the food that matter. :)
How does tipping work here? Asking as a newbie that’s never done this before
Hi! It’s whatever you feel comfortable with. The quality of service doesn’t change if you don’t tip. I know some people get outraged if you say you don’t tip for every drink, but I honestly didn’t. It’s meant to be an all-inclusive stress-free vacation.
These were helpful. Can you tell us what the deal is with the water bottle / refill your own, etc. ?
Honestly we never worried about water. We just asked for 3 bottle, and we get t three bottles. We needed more, we just asked for more. Water on the resort is safe (this means ice cubes are safe as well as anything washed in water).
I have been to the Grand twice and love it but the new prices are outrageous. I will be trying another resort.
Ditto. We booked the Excellence for our next trip. Different vibe but more reasonably priced.
ive been to probably 5 different resorts in the Riviera Maya and all at least a 5 golden apple ratings and I think the Iberostar has the best food for sure !
it's been a while since we've stayed at a non-Iberostar resort, but our next trip will be at the Excellence Playa Mujeres which my friends rave about, so we'll be finally able to compare. but it would be hard to beat the IGP honestly.
Have you been to Excellence yet?
What is the Facebook group name if I need to ask some information regarding the resort? 😊
Hi! The group name is “iberostar grand Paraiso fan group”. It’s a great source of information.
Can we get a link to the facebook group?
This might work (facebook.com/groups/144098172284949) but if not, just look for "Iberostar Grand Paraiso Fan Group". but don't forget to come back!! we have 4 weeks of additional stuff from our latest stay 2 weeks ago!
Thanks will do! @@AlainGrandemange
In my experience the live music is so loud you can't hear conversation.(it doesn't matter which resort)
Thanks for watching the video. We found the music at lounge at the Grand to be subdued and easy-listening. it made for great background music and didn't interfere with our conversations. If you check out some of my other day by day videos from the Grand, our evenings always finished at the lounge. It was always pleasant (in our opinion, of course). But we didn't try having conversations with other people, so maybe that would have changed our opinion.
Man those UPSELLS are ridiculously UNCOMFORTABLE. Me and my wife went to one and DAMN they damn near borderline question and force you to sign. I must have said No MULTIPLE TIMES. I had no idea how else I could have said no but to tell them to straight up F OFF. Me and my wife deal with hundreds of thousands of dollars as well and don't give in to peer pressure. These people were getting OFFENDED by our simple no's. Are their lives at stake or what? lol
It was crazy. But I noticed that they don’t react well once voices go up (and other people can here). If I sat through one of these things again, I’d say, loudly, “I’m done here…{awkward pause}.. are WE done here??” While staring uncomfortably in the sales guy’s eyes…. But it’s garbage and undermines the brand. Too bad.
@@AlainGrandemange We had 2 salespeople with us the entire time. A female from Texas and a local bilingual guy. The local bilingual guy eventually got so enraged, he stood up and barged off. The female kept insisting and about 15 no's later she proceeded to bring in "her manager" what seemed like an older Caucasian American man in his 50's tatted with entire sleeves of skulls, skulls on his rings, all dressed in white and told us that he would provide us with a "deal" that so wasn't a deal. It all eventually ended half a day later. SMH. I clearly remember champaign bottles popping around us as other people accepted the offers. I remember thinking to myself "there is a sucker born every minute". The experience was atrocious. They wanted to know what our finances were looking like back home to see if they could squeeze themselves in. HAHAHA Good grief.
I bought their membership. It's about $1500 a year, for my whole family (my children, parents and my brother), not just us. They don't have to travel with us. Next month we are going the grand paraiso $1700/2people for 7 nights as a member. Booked 3 rooms this time. I believe average price is about $2500-3000 for 6 nights. We go to their other resorts at least couple times a year too. We get $2000/yr flight rebate for the first 10 years. We will get my membership $ back when the membership contract ends (The money might not worth much by end of 25 years). Like I said, it's membership, so like a gym membership, u need to use it to worth it, otherwise, it's a waste. Free massge every day is very nice.
Whatever the lady is doing with her fingers the entire video… incredibly annoying
ha! I'll make sure to let her know :) she was breaking apart the dog treats to try to keep Toby quiet. Luckily Toby won't be around for the next video from the Iberostar so she won't be fidgeting as much. thanks for watching!
That dog is annoying AF
he's a puppy that overflows with personality. We didn't know when we got Toby how much attitude Lhasa Apso's have. lesson learned.